Amanda Sakuma
GEN
Published in
Nov 18, 2020

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Here’s what it’s like to watch your dad get publicly fired by Donald Trump. Writer Sean Kernan delves into the backstory behind the abrupt decision by his father, Joseph Kernan, to leave his post as undersecretary of defense for intelligence in the Defense Department. The senior Kernan was one of several top Pentagon officials to either leave or get pushed out last week; all were replaced by Trump loyalists. Sean said his father’s resignation letter had been prepared for weeks, but after Trump unexpectedly fired Defense Secretary Mike Esper last Monday, his successor was quick to clean house.

“Sure, it would have been nice if Trump acted a little classier about the whole thing. But nobody is surprised,” Kernan wrote. “This is just history repeating itself. Dad didn’t take this job for the money or the glory. But he still deserved more respect on his way out.”

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Amanda Sakuma
GEN
Writer for

Editor/writer. Words in GEN, The Atlantic, Glamour, The Intercept, MSNBC, NBC News, NYT, Vice, Vox, and more.